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Date Posted: 01:55:51 04/28/04 Wed
Author: sundarar - 1 Apr 2004
Subject: the 3 steps on the (kriya) path


Friends

I was at a satsang with SRF Brother Anandamoy years ago and he said the three most important SRF books are: Autobiography, Science of Religion, and the Holy Science by Yukteswar. He said these 3 have all you need. Do not worry about reading the Vedas, etc.

Years later I appreciate this statement a lot and see wider implications. I will share a few here...

I just read where Swami Rama of Himalayan Institute said there are 3 steps also to his Sri Vidya path, which is very similar to kriya in its advanced stages. This path is of the Himalayan sages, and his guru knows Babaji. The steps to Rama's path are: yoga, vedanta, and tantra. This matches Anandamoy's statement and our own kriya path, I'll tell you why and why the understanding is so vital.

1st Rama has all learn basic yogas and especially raja yoga via Patanjali's yoga sutras. How long this takes who knows. For SRF folk a wide overview of yoga is definately the Autobiography and the lessons give a good grounding.

Then Rama has them get a very basic idea of Vedanta--such as depicted in Science of Religion. Now recently I find this a wise move before one gets into heavy meditation experiences, otherwise you can get waylaid in siddhis and all manners of dualistic visions, etc. Anandamoy continually warns about these. "Science of Religion" makes it clear that a concept of God as personal, impersonal, merciful, is not at all necessary. What IS necessary is God as Bliss. What is not spelled out is that this bliss is essentially of Brahman, not even of Isvara. This full bliss is to be had only in Nirvikapla samadhi where there is no duality. The ego is fully dissolved. This is Vedanta. It could be argued Yogananda makes it clear one has to dissolve totally the ego. Anandamoy says the goal is "the infinite God" and "the ego hangs on til the last second"!

If you ask most SRF chelas what is the goal, they are likely to say God or cosmic consciousness, but even the latter is of Isvara if you ask me. Furthermore, it is my own experience and observation that devotees struggle for YEARS to reconcile their childhood ideas of God ( as a tyrant, uncaring, angry, rule based, etc) with often little success and little "love" for God. Previous ideas are deep in the subconscious. It is my wish that I had no religious training at all in childhood, as it sabotages me more than not. Does anyone feel ther same?

So with Rama, this Vedantic notion in tow, (and the 4 means of salvation which focuses on dicrimination, dispassion and yearning for moksha), then and only then the chela is taught a kundalini yoga that includes maha and yoni (or jyoti) mudras. This system is given to few and apparently is close to ours. I have been told that in the Himalayas kriya type techniques are not uncommon.

Next, Rama says the Guru awakens kundalini with shaktipat when the time is ripe. Then, the chela must pierce the bindu at ajna chakra, represented by the dot in the sri chakra yantra. Kriyabans know that this is the star, or a point in the star to be more precise. Most chelas incline to Isvara or Divine Mother up to this stage but the real personal God they will have to meditate on is OM vibaration. This vibration is sound, light and has a feeling aspect (Anandamoy says it is peace and Doctor Lewis says it is Love.) This is all plainly stated in Yukteswar's Holy Science.

My main realization of late is how necessary it is to be grounded in Vedanta before the kundalini awakens. Or perhaps after it awakens you are able to embrace Vedanta as kundalini purifies the faculties. If you look closely in Yogananda's teachings outside the Science of Religion, he uses many Vedantic symbols, parables etc. Without Vedantic grounding, it is all to easy to lapse into a warped notion of an angry God, guilt emotions, powers, and sidetrack into the astral and causal realms. To avoid this fate Doctor Lewis used to say forget the gold and blue ring and ONLY try and penetrate the star.

Even if you penetrate the star there may be detours or distractions in Cosmic Consciousness. Doctor Lewis said he attained Cosmic Consciousness early on in his sdhana but took 20 years more to get nirvikalpa samadhi in Brahman. So he did a lot of work inside that star and it wasn't fast or easy. Who knows if it COULD be made easier with the right understanding.

Yogananda told Roy Davis many saints roam in the (lesser) bliss of God (Isvara)communion for millions of years before going beyond it to full God (Brahman)realization. Hendrik posted earlier about spiritual fossils. Well, this can be prevented by a decent understanding of Vedanta, but many people are influenced by tamas and rajas guna which makes them lazy or unintelligent, so they freeze at a certain level of development.

2 ways to avoid this fate: Love God and dissolve in God (Isvara) at ajna chakra at the spiritual eye, but ask always "is there something more to experience?" If there is an observer there is an ego, and there is something more!

2nd way is to contemplate Brahman or pure consciousness at the crown chakra. This is not easy and I'm not sure anyone in the kriya lineage advises it. Seems it can be a "spiritual bypass" if it is on the 'surface'. Likewise, in the Gita it is said the path to the unmanifest is difficult. If you are a kriyaban such statements have personal implications within YOU. You either figure them out or a Guru tells you...

I have found loving Isvara as Light within the star is essential. The desire must be there to merge. I do not agree with Krishnamurti that this sattvic state can be bypassed by most. I am not a proponent of rigorous vedanta study before kriya/tanytra. I'm no advaita shuffler!

However, when one starts to dissolve in sound, light and love (3 aspects of the holy vibration), one must keep the attitude that he will truly dissolve until the ego is no more. He has to know the ultimate goal. That is, he will keep on until he gets Brahman or the vedantic nirvikalpa samadhi. Yogananda said you are in danger until you get this. You can "fall".

Not to mention that yoga (nirvikalpa)comes and goes says the gita. "Once out always out" Achalananda told me, but what is "once out"? Is it the first nirvikalpa or is it unbroken nirvikalpa. I side for the latter...

So finally, with Isvara's grace (or some say divine mother's) one is able to go beyond the gunas via a passage or tube that runs from ajna to sahasrara. The goal is the full bliss beyond in the sahasrar chakra. This is nirvikalpa samadhi. Only then does the spiritual life begin says Swami Brahmananda. This nirvikalpa is possible via tantra or kriya yoga. Thus kriya and tantra are the last stage in a practical progression that is prepped by vedanta.

I am eager for comments.

I bow to all kriyabans.

Sundarar

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